The Baby of the Beast
by bloodstar
Summary: Tyson and Kai face the consequences of an epic battle with horny bitbeasts. TyKa, MaxHil Yaoi, Yuri, Mpreg, genderswap and all that other fun stuff, like pirates!
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Baby of the Beast  
**Author:** Superslothic  
**Rating:** PG-13, probably...  
**Pairings:** Tyson/Kai, Max/Hilary, Dranzer/Dragoon  
**Summary:** Tyson and Kai face the consequences of an epic battle with horny bitbeasts. (Mpreg, genderswap and all that other fun stuff, like pirates!)  
**Author's Note:** Yeah...you know how everybody jokes about a certain scene in a certain beybattle in G-Rev? That's where this came from... Started it as X in the alphabet game on kaitaka but then it ran away from me. Anyway, enjoy.

**The Baby of the Beast**

"…and _that's_ why I'm the World Champ, Kai, and you're just a sourpuss!"

Kai chuckled. "Blazing Gigs Tempest!"

"Oh no you don't! Go Dragoon! Evolution Storm!"

Hilary Tachibana rolled her eyes as a mini tornado covered in red feathers materialised at the bottom of the small hill. She leaned further over her leather diary in a vain attempt to keep the pages from flipping as she wrote. Then, after a moment, she gave up and moved farther up the hill, away from another one of Tyson and Kai's many epic battles. If this had been any other two players, she would have assumed the game over by the time Kai called out his big move, but since it was Tyson he was battling, there was fat chance of that happening. Their battles went on for ages, like they were fighting for more than just a win or more like they couldn't bear for the battle to end.

'_Honestly,'_ she wrote when she'd finally found a less windy spot. _'You'd think they'd realise by now that they're hopelessly in love with each other! I mean, it's totally obvious!'_

Max flopped down on the grass beside her. "Hey, Hilary, what'cha writing?"

Hilary quickly closed the book over her pen to keep her spot. "Oh, nothing."

"Heheh, okay. Hey, that looks like a wicked battle! I sure wish I was down there."

"I bet those two wouldn't even notice if you blew up the field."

Max gave a funny little laugh and Hilary frowned, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay, Max?" she asked. "You're all red."

Max turned even redder, scratching the back of his head. "Naw, I'm fine, Hilary."

"Well, if you say so…" Voices from the other side of the hill caught her attention and she looked around. "Oh, look! There's Kenny and Ray!"

As she stood up to wave them over, Max sighed, watching as the battle between Tyson and Kai ended in a draw. A small smile flickered across his face as Tyson tackled Kai to the ground and gave him a big wet kiss. Kai shoved him off, wiping the slobber off his face, but he was smiling and Tyson was laughing his ass off.

Shaking his head in amusement, Max caught Hilary's hand and pulled her back down next to him.

"What's up, Max?"

"A-actually, Hilary, I was wondering… maybe we could go to the movies-?"

"Oh! That's a great idea, Maxie!"

Max's grin widened. "Great, so-"

"Kenny, Ray," Hilary called to the grinning nekojin and the short boy still puffing his way up the hill. "What do you say to going to the movies tonight?"

"Oh, no, that's not…" Max sighed, looking oddly disappointed.

"Huh?"

"I, uh, I just remembered I have to help my dad at the store," Max hedged. "Oh well, maybe next time." Max laughed nervously. "Hey, Ray, looks like they're done, wanna see if they wanna battle us?"

"Uh, sure…" Ray said allowing himself to be dragged down the hill by the arm.

Hilary put her hands on her hips and frowned. "What was that all about?"

"U-um…" Kenny shuffled his laptop in his arms and toed the ground uncomfortably, face still hot from his hike. "W-well, we could still go to the movies together, Hilary."

"Yeah, sure. Hey, looks like they're going to have a pairs' battle."

Sure enough, Ray and Kai were standing on one side of the proverbial dish while Tyson and Max stood on the other, each counting down to launch.

"Ah! Wait for me, you guys!" Kenny cried, running down the hill towards the action.

"I'll be right there, Kenny!" Hilary called before going back to her diary.

She quickly read over what she just wrote before continuing, _'If someone was in love with me, I'd definitely be the one to notice. How can Tyson and Kai be so oblivious? Tyson, maybe, but Kai? There must be something wrong with the Y-chromosome that makes boys so stupid. That's probably why girls are so superior to boys, we're just more observant. Well, I'll just have to show them the way.'_

Hilary closed her diary with a satisfied sigh and wandered down the hill to where the action was. Even this early on in the game it was obvious that Tyson and Kai were more fighting each other than Max and Ray, and by the amused smiles the latter two shared over the dish, they knew it.

"Ready, Ray?"

"You bet. It's time to take back this match. Driger!"

"Draciel!"

The white and green blades simultaneously slammed into the blue and silver blades that ground together at a stalemate. All four blades ground against each other for half an instant before rebounding off and circling around each other.

The four smirked at each other, the calm before the catastrophe.

"Dranzer!"

"C'mon, Driger!"

"Go Dragoon!"

"Draciel!"

Rough wind whipped around them; electricity crackled in the hot, humid air. The four blades came together in an instant that blinded them all in a hot white light.

The next instant, the hill was calm, and the Bladebreakers were gone.

* * *

The air was still and strangely salty. The day had suddenly become night; where once was blazing sun shone sparkling stars; where once fluffy clouds hung in the sky, there were only oversized, or maybe just over-close, planets lined up in a row.

Ray groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head where it had hit what felt like a wooden floor.

"Whoa," Max gasped from somewhere to Ray's right. "This is really freaky, you guys."

"No kidding," Ray said, slowly standing up. It felt like the floor was moving. "Where are we?"

"It's our dream place," came the answer. Ray turned around to find Tyson staring thoughtfully at the sky. A small, happy smile started to spread over his face. "Mine and Kai's. We came here during our battle at the last World Championships, right Kai?" Tyson's head whipped around, his smile fading to worry as he failed to spot his rival. "Kai? Kai!"

It was only then that Ray noticed their other missing team mates.

"Hilary? Kenny?!" he called. "Where is everybody?"

"And why are we on a boat?" Max asked, leaning over the edge of a railing Ray hadn't noticed before. Both Ray and Tyson rushed to his side to peer over the edge. The water surrounding them was calm, but inky and black and seemingly endless.

"Y-you don't think…"

"N-no way! Maybe, maybe they're still back at the battle!"

"No way, I could never come here without Kai!"

"Well, let's not panic," Ray said reasonably. "Maybe they're just on the other side of the ship or something and wondering where we are."

"Yeah, we can just go look for them! Tyson'll take starboard and I'll take aft and Ray, you can go port and we'll find them in no time!"

Tyson stared at him flatly. "I hope you know what you just said 'cause I sure don't."

"Uh… heh heh." Max simpered, rubbing the back of his neck and shrugging.

Ray rolled his eyes. "Well, then, I'll go left, you go right, and Max, you can check inside the cabin."

"Got it."

Max watched as his friends ran off in opposite directions before making his way into the ship's cabin. The main room was empty save the steering wheel, the single lantern that illuminated it and the golden compass that dangled from one of the wooden spokes. Flicking it open, Max noticed they were headed north.

Shrugging his shoulders, he picked up the lantern and was about to leave the room when something golden glinted in the dim light from the far corner of the cabin. On closer inspection, he found that it was the handle to a trap door. With a small grunt of effort, Max managed to pull the heavy door open. A narrow staircase descended deep into the dark womb of the ship.

"Hello?" Max called, hesitantly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know if some kind of monster lived under this ship. "Kai? Are you down there? Hilary? Kenny?"

The only response he got was his own voice echoing back at him.

Max had just about managed to steel up the courage to go down there when a hand landed on his shoulder, making him practically jump out of his skin. He would have fallen down the stairs if not for Ray pulling him back by the collar of his shirt. Max was never so grateful for Ray's cat-like reflexes.

"Sorry, Maxie," Ray said after settling him on his feet. "I couldn't find them anywhere."

"Me neither," Tyson sighed.

"Guess there's only one more place to go, then," Max said, shining the lantern over the hole in the ground.

Tyson gulped. "Uh, maybe you should go first, Ray."

"Yeah," Max quickly agreed, shoving the lantern into his hands. "We're right behind ya, buddy!"

Ray rolled his eyes and slowly led the way down the dark hole. Clinging to each other as much as they could manage on the narrow staircase, Tyson and Max followed.

At the bottom of the stairs was a passageway that extended for what seemed like miles in either direction, for sure much further than the tiny ship should have allowed. On either side of the hall at equal intervals were endless closed doors and unlit wall-lanterns. Going up to the first door, Ray turned the fancy golden handle and pushed it open.

Inside was a huge bedroom that looked more like it belonged in a palace than on a ship. Every surface glistened, from the marble floors to the crystal chandelier that lit the room. The extra large bed was surrounded by silk drapes; what he could see of it looked plush and inviting. Beautiful detailed tapestries hung from the walls; opposite the door was a huge window showing the view of a sunset that certainly wasn't there on deck.

"Whoa." Tyson gaped at the room as he and Max filed in behind Ray. "How can it be so big?"

Ray shrugged, just as perplexed. "It's your dream world."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Max said.

"Let's just go find the others."

Every room they visited was as strange as the last. They came upon endless bedrooms, a few atriums, some fully-stocked kitchens (which Tyson would be especially pleased with if he weren't so worried), three abandoned Mister Donuts, a McDonald's and, surprisingly, only one bathroom. After hours of fruitless searching, they finally came to the last door. Inside was the smallest room yet, a tiny messy office with one bare light bulb dangling over a small desk that was covered in papers. The light seemed to only shine on one document: an unfurled, ancient looking treasure map.

"What's that?" Max wondered.

"Wait! Don't-"

But Max had already picked up the map. As soon as he touched it, it gave off a bright white glow, much like that which had brought them there in the first place. The light shot off in all directions, blinding them for a moment, then just as suddenly, it disappeared, leaving them all confused.

"What just happened?" Ray asked.

"What am I _wearing_?" Tyson exclaimed. Max was wondering the same. Gone was Tyson's red jacket and yellow t-shirt, replaced by a floppy white blouse thing the likes of which Max had last seen in a pirate movie.

Tyson looked at Ray. "What are _you_ wearing?" He looked at Max and his eyes couldn't get any wider. "Dude, what happened to you?"

"Huh?" Max looked down at himself. He was wearing the same pirate garb as Tyson and Ray… except there were a few things different below the neck.

Max screamed.

* * *

"Oh my God, Kai!" Hilary exclaimed.

Kai sighed, closing his eyes, his left eyebrow twitching the only sign of his annoyance.

Four hours ago, he'd woken up from a foursome beybattle with Tyson, Ray and Max in a cave with his hands shackled above his head, and a panicking Kenny and Hilary in similar positions on either side of him. Then, two minutes ago, he was once again blinded by a white light. When he opened his eyes again, he was still shackled to a wall, only now he had acquired breasts and, from the feel of things, lost a penis.

And he couldn't help but notice, quite bitterly, that he was the only one gender-swapped. Kai scowled.

"That's a pretty dress, Kai," Hilary observed. "The, uh, the colour really suits you."

Kai barely resisted the urge to snarl at her and redoubled his –her- efforts to rip the iron shackles from the stone wall.

Hilary sweatdropped. "Uh, I'm sure Tyson and the others will find a way to get us out of here." Kai glared at her and, after a moment, her face grew determined. "You're right, Kai. We don't need any boys to save us! We'll get out of here ourselves and then we'll rescue _them_." Kai smiled a little as Hilary resumed struggling with her own shackles, suddenly remembering why he liked this girl so much… until she started throwing in some 'girl powers' and 'sisters'. His glare darkened. "Um…"

"I'm more worried about who put us here in the first place," Kenny murmured.

Kai sighed. At the moment, he was more annoyed at the fact that he was suddenly a girl.

* * *

After Max was finally done hyperventilating, he moved onto touching every inch of the map, then touching every inch of every piece of paper in the office in hopes that it would change him back. It didn't. This was turning out to be one of the worst days of his life. First Hilary invited Kenny and Ray out on their date after he had spent the entire week building up the courage to ask her and now he was a _she_. Now all he needed was to lose Draciel to an evil mad scientist to make his day complete.

At that thought, his eyes widening, he frantically searched his person for his blade. Nothing.

"Draciel!" his new voice shrieked. "I can't find Draciel!"

He found some weird dagger, though, that he was about to toss onto the floor before a glint in the handle caught his eye. Imbedded in the pommel was a purple jewel, inside which floated the image of Draciel. He sighed in relief.

"There's gotta be something to this map," Ray said, holding it out in front of himself. "Where does this X lead?"

Tyson scratched his non-existent beard, gazing upwards thoughtfully. "Buried treasure? Hey, what's that?" Max and Ray followed his gaze to the wooden ceiling, or more specifically, the words etched there in golden light. "_A dragon cries, a phoenix dies_? Huh? Grr, I hate puzzles!" Tyson growled, shaking a fist at the ceiling. "You tell me what you mean right now or else!"

"Well… isn't Dranzer a phoenix?" Ray put in.

"And Dragoon is a dragon!" Max exclaimed.

Tyson automatically went for the beyblade pouch he always kept on his arm and came up empty. Then he remembered where Max had found his Draciel and drew the sword slung around his hip.

"Looks like my family sword," he murmured. Except it looked new and Dragoon was still embedded in the blade. He gasped as the sword began to glow in his hands and a tall, lanky man covered in blue scales appeared before him.

"Tyson," he said in a deep, familiar voice, inclining his head slightly.

"Dragoon?"

* * *

"Ooh, it's no use!" Hilary cried. "Help! Somebody help us!"

Kai leaned her –his- head against the wall tiredly, closing his eyes against the headache stabbing at the back of his head as Hilary continued crying for help.

Wait.

"Hilary." He cleared his throat, still unused to the girlish voice that came out of his mouth. "Hilary! Shut up for a minute."

"What? Kai, I'm trying to get us out of here!"

"So am I," he growled, lowly. "Now how is my hair done?"

Both Hilary and Kenny stared at him like he'd grown three heads to go with the breasts. Kai glared. He didn't have to explain himself to them.

"Ooookay," Hilary said with a shrug, then went off into a ramble about curlers and hair gel that meant absolutely nothing to him.

"Hilary," he grunted. "I meant, are there pins in it?"

"Huh?" Hilary's brows furrowed for a second before her expression finally cleared. "Oh, I get it! Good thinking, Kai! I knew we could count on you. But, wait, how are you gonna get them out?"

"What? What is he thinking?" Kenny, it seemed, had come out of his shock and was well into panic. "This is not the time for hairstyling tips! Ah! We're gonna die down here!"

Kai ignored him. "Let me worry about that, now where exactly are they?"

Hilary craned her neck and squinted in the darkness at the back of Kai's head. This would've been a lot easier if Kai were blonde.

"They're probably put in from the bottom. Try under the bun?"

"Kenny," Kai barked. "Leg. Now."

"What?!"

"Here, Kai, use mine." Hilary bent her right leg and propped it up on the wall.

Kai sighed gratefully, twisting his hands in his shackles a few times to determine the best angle for this. Then he kicked off his shoes, put his left foot on Hilary's right calf and pushed himself up the wall, swiftly propping his right foot flat on the wall to take some of the weight.

"Kai, hurry," Hilary hissed in pain as Kai got to work freeing a hairpin from the fancy bun his hair was in.

"Got it." Kai grunted as Hilary abruptly dropped her leg and he landed heavily on his feet.

"Sorry."

"Whatever." Kai was already focused on picking the lock on his shackles. Within seconds, he was free and working on releasing his friends.

"Way to go, Kai!" Hilary cheered as her hands dropped to her sides and the other girl moved on to Kenny.

"I get it, now," Kenny said, excitedly. "You used Hilary's leg to get you high enough to reach the hairpins in your hair!"

"Hn."

Kenny was free now and Kai tucked the pin into the long sleeve of the purple dress 'she' was suddenly wearing, just in case they needed to escape somewhere again.

"Let's get out of here."

No sooner did they reach the opening of the cave, than thick steel bars fell from the ceiling, trapping them inside.

"No!" Hilary cried, tugging at the prison bars. "We were so close! Tyson! Max! Ray! Somebody let us out of here! Help!"

Kai frowned. There was no lock on the gate for him to pick through and there seemed no other way to escape their prison. What bothered him most, however, was the view outside.

It was their dream world. Their very own beyblading sanctuary had not only let others in, but was holding him hostage.

"Dranzer," Kai murmured.

The phoenix in question suddenly materialised before them, flapping her wings majestically from the other side of the cage.

"Dranzer, get me out of here," Kai ordered. The bird shook her head, cawing disapprovingly. "Dranzer, why are you doing this?"

Dranzer only shrieked and disappeared, the only things left in her wake was a rain of fire and a bowl of fruit, just within reach of the cage.

"Kai, what's going on?" Hilary asked.

"I don't know," he muttered, and that really annoyed him.

* * *

"What do you mean Dranzer's captured Kai?!"

Dragoon's voice was calm and deep as ever. "I assure you, she has not harmed him, however, she is not of stable mind right now and will lash out at all who go near, even you or I. She cannot help herself in her condition." He continued before Tyson could interrupt again. "But never Kai. He is her charge."

"But she's holding him captive?"

"For protection from those she deems as threats."

"Us?"

Dragoon nodded gravely.

"But what about Kenny? And Hilary?"

"They weren't the ones attacking him," Ray said, and Dragoon nodded. "We were."

"Wha…? But… we were just blading! We weren't gonna hurt him or anything."

"We may not have meant to, but that's how it may have looked to her," Ray said. "Right, Dragoon?"

"Any damage she takes, Kai takes as well, and vice versa. It is the danger of a close partnership such as theirs. She's just trying to protect him."

"But why? She never has before!"

"This is different."

"What's going on?"

The dragon man shifted uncomfortably, almost looking like he was blushing. "Well… as you know, a bitbeast feeds on his master's power in battle, and in a close partnership, a bitbeast takes on his master's weaknesses, like you and I, Tyson. We have been together a long time." Dragoon sighed. "Dranzer has been with Kai for longer; any… injury she sustains in battle, he does as well. In our last great battle…"

"When? This afternoon?" Dragoon shook his head. "This morning?" No. "Yesterday?"

"Long before now, when we first brought you here."

"The World Championships!"

"Yes. You see, we, uh, did something we were not supposed to…" At this point, the blue dragon man seemed unable to look his master in the eye, staring at the floor in embarrassment, like a teenager caught in the act. "You must understand, master. Passions run high during battle! We never thought this would happen, and never that it would affect Kai-"

"What have you done to Kai?" Tyson demanded.

"During that battle, Dranzer and I…we… well, you see… well, she is female a-and I am male…"

"Oh my god, you did the humpty-humpty!" Ray yelled.

"No way!" Max gasped, scandalised.

Tyson frowned, disapprovingly. "Is this true, Dragoon?"

"Yes, master." Dragoon stared determinedly at his toes as he rocked back and forth on his heels. "A-and Dranzer became… with child."

There was a stunned silence that stretched for longer than Dragoon could bear. If he weren't cold-blooded, he'd be sweating his scales off.

"Is that even possible?" Ray asked finally.

"What would it… make?" Max wondered.

"What does this have to do with Kai?" Tyson wanted to know.

"You-you remember what I said about close partnerships and… injuries?" Dragoon winced.

"You mean you… you…"

"Yes," Dragoon sighed, glad the explanations were finally over with.

"You knocked Kai up with your babies!" Tyson cried. "Not cool, Dragoon, how could you?"

Dragoon sweatdropped. Apparently they weren't over after all. "Not quite, Tyson. Kai is now pregnant with _your_ baby."

Tyson's mouth hung open like a broken drawbridge, his eyes just about ready to fall out of his head.

"But how is that possible?" Ray asked. "Kai's a boy."

"Not at the moment," said Dragoon. "Nor will he be until the child is born."

Tyson's mouth opened and closed a few times before he blurted, "But that doesn't make sense! Kai's always on top, if anybody should be pregnant around here, it should be me!"

Tyson clapped his hands over his mouth, his eyes going wider and his face turning beet red as he realised what he just said.

Ray blinked. "That is more information than I ever wanted to know."

Stunned silence reigned again until a loud giggle burst forth from Max's mouth.

"Very funny, Tyson! You sure got us this time. This sure is a good prank, how'd you get Dragoon to help you?" Max slapped his knee, still laughing hysterically. "Okay, I give up, you win! Change me back now."

"I am afraid this is no joke," Dragoon said solemnly bowing his head. "That spell was not intended for you, Max. This was a miscalculation on my part. For this, I am sorry."

Max sobered instantly. "W-well, who was it for? Can you change me back?"

Dragoon shook his head. "It was intended for my master. I had not anticipated your being more impulsive than he."

"Why would you want to turn _me_ into a girl?"

"I was only trying to help. In an alternate form, I thought Dranzer would let you past her walls to see your mate." Dragoon turned to Max. "As it is, the spell cannot be broken until you find your mate, Max."

"Oh no," Max groaned. "I'll be stuck like this forever!"

Ray patted him on the shoulder, hiding a snicker behind his other hand. "I'm sure you'll find her soon… Maxine."

Max stuck out his tongue at Ray and huffed.

"Where's Kai?" asked Tyson.

Dragoon sighed. "It is not so easy as to simply retrieve him. There are three things you must gather, three gifts as it were, to show Dranzer that you are worthy of her trust and her charge."

"You've gotta be kidding me!"

"I have marked the first item on the map. The second location will appear after you have retrieved the first and the third after that. This ship will take you where you need to go."

"How long is this going to take?"

"Three months."

"What?!"

"Worry not. Your friends will be fine with Dranzer. She only wishes to protect Kai not harm him; once the others do not endanger him, she will not harm them either. Good luck, master."

With that, Dragoon faded from view.

"Wait! What about our families? We can't stay here for three months! Dragoon!"

But the blue dragon was gone and the three boys were left on a quest they didn't understand.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Kenny sighed as he scratched another day onto the cave wall with a smooth black stone he had found. It had already been a week and they were no closer to getting out. Kenny had already examined all the bars for weaknesses and all the walls for holes he could squeeze through to find help. If he had Dizzy with him, he was sure they could come up with some sort of plan; in the meantime, he set himself the task of monitoring the length of their imprisonment. Kai just sat listlessly against the steel bars of the cage munching on the fruit Dranzer brought by every day, brooding over something –either betrayal or an escape, Kenny himself was hoping for the latter. Even Hilary, ever the optimist, had stopped calling for help after the sixth day, though that may have had more to do with losing her voice.

"No offence, Kai, but maybe you should lay off those mangoes," Hilary commented hoarsely, staring pointedly at the other girl's belly.

Kenny had to agree, though he wouldn't be bold enough to say so aloud; not to Kai, anyway. This was the first time he'd ever seen Kai let himself go this badly. His usually flat stomach had expanded seemingly overnight, poking out of the slinky dress he wore like a beer belly.

Kai looked up at Hilary blankly, then down to his midsection, brushing his thumb over his belly curiously.

Hilary gasped as Kai slowly stood up and lifted his dress up to stare down at the smooth roundness of his belly. The skin was unusually taut for someone who was merely fat, Kenny noticed, before blushing and looking away from the exposed girl.

"Kai…" Hilary breathed.

Kai exhaled heavily through his nose and dropped the dress.

"Dranzer," he called, barely above a whisper and almost immediately, the spirit in question appeared.

Kenny rose from his slump against his makeshift calendar and wiped his brow. It was generally very cool in the cave, but whenever the firebird paid them a visit, the temperature seemed to shoot up a few hundred degrees. Hesitantly, he made his way toward the front of the cave with Hilary and Kai.

"I hope this isn't what I think it is," Kai muttered, but he didn't seem surprised when the bird seemed to draw back on herself guiltily, an obvious yes. Kai sighed. "I understand. I'm not angry, Dranzer. We won't run."

"What?!" Hilary shrieked. "Now see here, mister, if you think I'm staying in this cage forever-"

Kai silenced her with a glare and Kenny backed down with his own protest. Satisfied, Kai turned back to his bitbeast and repeated, "We won't run."

Dranzer cawed triumphantly and before they knew it, they were in a proper house, on a balcony overlooking a beach. Behind them was a large bedroom with white walls, white marble floors and a large, soft white bed. The curtains were some kind of light, see-through material that fluttered gracefully in the gentle breeze.

Dranzer circled around Kai, wrapping her fiery tail-feathers around his middle and Kai patted her feathers absently, completely untouched by the flames.

"W-what's going on?" Kenny asked.

Kai was silent, staring off into the endless sea for a long moment before answering.

"It seems," he said solemnly. "That I am pregnant."

Kai could almost hear the gears ticking over in Hilary's head as she processed his words. He glanced blandly at Kenny, who had fainted outright, while he waited.

Finally, she opened her mouth and screeched, "What?!"

Kai waited a moment for Dranzer to detach herself and fly away before turning on his heel and retreating into the house, leaving Hilary the task of dragging Kenny's unconscious body in after them.

* * *

Tyson leaned against the wide window that stretched across the front side of the cabin watching stars streak across the sky, as they did every night. He'd already given up wishing on them. The planets that usually hung in the sky had moved out of line and gone wherever it was planets went. The sea was as still as ever.

They had been following Dragoon's map for almost two weeks and had yet to come even close to the target, let alone land, though Ray figured that they would get there within a day or so.

He missed his Grandpa, he missed his home, his room at the dojo with all his stuff, hell, he even missed Daichi! He missed beyblading; they hadn't been able to since they'd been here, their beyblades having turned literally into blades, and teaching Ray and 'Maxine' kendo moves just wasn't the same. He missed…

He missed Kai.

It was hard to believe that he was going to be a dad - he was only sixteen, for crying out loud! He wasn't sure how they would take care of this kid. Kai could probably afford to take care of its needs and maybe he was responsible enough, but where did that leave Tyson? They'd only just started this thing and now they were parents, tied to each other practically forever. He wasn't sure how Kai would like that; Kai didn't like to be tied to anything, he needed to be free to go anywhere and do whatever he liked, when he liked, or he would suffocate. He wasn't sure how his family would react to this, either, let alone the world. Tyson was having a baby with another guy –that was just seriously freaky!

Tyson shook his head and sighed. There would be time enough to worry about that; it would all be moot if they never got Kai back from Dranzer.

_Where are you, Kai?_

"I just don't get it," Ray said, breaking him from his reverie. Tyson turned away from the window and headed back to where he and Max were huddled over the map. "According to this map, X is in the middle of the sea."

"Maybe we have to go diving for it," Max said. "Maybe it's a fish! Think Dranzer's just hungry?"

Ray sweatdropped. "Whatever it is, do you really want to go swimming in that?" he asked.

The water was eerie calm and inky black and Tyson wouldn't doubt that it was a million times deeper than your average bathtub. He clenched his fist in determination.

"I'll do i-"

The ship suddenly shook violently, tossing them all off their feet. Moments later, there was a distant boom and a crack as the ship rocked again. The sharp metallic scent of gun powder and smoke assaulted their senses as they scrambled onto the deck.

A ship twice as large as theirs sailed into the dark night through a shimmering wormhole, two still-smoking cannons pointing in their direction with one more being loaded. Atop its mast, high above the deck, a dark flag flapped in the wind, skull grinning at them above crossbones.

"You've gotta be kidding me! Pirates?!" Ray exclaimed.

"This is so cool!" Max gushed. "I mean, oh no! What do we do?"

No sooner had the ship finally steadied itself than another explosion sounded. This time, Tyson could see the big black cannon ball crash through the deck not five feet away from him. The wood splintered and smoked around the impact crater and he imagined water gushing in from deep within the belly of the ship from the hull. Unbidden, images of that sappy boat movie Hilary had made them watch last month flashed before his eyes; of the ship splitting down the middle and sinking, dragging everybody down with it.

And they didn't even have any lifeboats!

"The ship's gonna sink! I'm too young and handsome to die!"

Ray slapped him in the face. "Tyson! Pull yourself together!"

Another cannon ball crashed through the starboard bow, making the boat rock so hard it almost capsized. Max went flying over the railing. The only thing that kept him from taking a dive was Ray grabbing hold of his wrist.

"Ray!"

"Hold on, Maxie! Tyson!"

Tyson was already at Ray's side, leaning over the railing to grab Max's other hand. Once he had a firm grip on his teammate, he turned to Ray and counted down.

"Three, two, one, go!"

Both boys dug their heels in and heaved, quickly dragging Max back over the side.

"Phew, that was close," Max panted, lying boneless where he had landed, on top of Ray.

"You said it, Maxie," Tyson said, dusting himself off.

"Mmph!"

"Huh?" Max looked around trying to find the muffled sound. "Oh, Ray! Sorry, bud!" he exclaimed, scrambling off Ray's person. The nekojin sat up quickly, gasping desperately for air, beet red having just been smothered by his teammate's breasts. "Here! Let me help you!"

Max leaned forward with one hand outstretched towards him, carelessly giving Ray an eyeful. He quickly averted his gaze, before grabbing the proffered hand and pulling himself up.

Ray cleared his throat, looking anywhere but at the grinning blonde in front of him. "Uh, Maxie, your, uh… your shirt."

"Huh? Oh!" Max spun around quickly, a deep blush spreading on his face as he hurried to fix the buttons on his shirt that had come undone.

"There be no need to button up on our account, lass," said a deep, gravelly voice. Max froze as thick, grubby fingers stroked his long hair. How the pirates had managed to sneak up on them, he had no idea. He jerked out of the pirate's reach and drew his dagger, shakily. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Tyson and Ray drawing their own swords, pointing them warily at the intruders.

"You s-stay back! I'm warning you!" Max said. Suddenly this wasn't so cool anymore.

"We're not letting you take our ship!" Tyson yelled.

The lead pirate laughed scandalously and the others followed suit.

"Aye, funny," he said mockingly to Tyson. "how ye think ye 'ave a choice, boy. I were hardly askin' permission." The pirate took a heavy, clanking step forward, and it was only then that Max realised he had a robotic leg. Max lashed out with his dagger as the pirate moved to touch him, but the pirate was too quick, grabbing the dagger by the blade and twisting it away from him. Max cried out as his wrist was twisted at a funny angle; the pirate didn't even flinch as the blade cut into his human hand, spilling blood on the deck. The pirate, chuckling darkly at the pained expression contorting Max's face, tugged on the dagger and drew him close, wrapping a firm arm around his female body, kissing the hand with the dagger in it with his scarred lips.

"Cap'n Blackfoot, at yer service," he said, all nasty charm. "T'would be a pleasure for me, and these other gentlemen o' fortune, to 'ave you in our… 'umble presence."

"You let go of her –him!" Tyson yelled, attacking the nearest pirate. Max used the distraction to knee Blackfoot in the groin. Unfortunately, this was another part of him that was made of metal.

"Ahh!" Max cried, falling back, holding his knee as it throbbed in agony.

"Ye'll be regrettin' that, wench," the pirate growled, towering over him, a broadsword pointed at his throat. Max gulped, squeezing his eyes shut as the pirate prepared to gut him like a fish. He whimpered as he waited for the first slice.

"Argh!" Tyson tossed himself across deck, tackling Blackfoot to the ground. "You no good dirty pirate!"

As Max limped to his feet, he heard their swords clashing frantically and their grunts of effort. A quick glance around showed him that they were still vastly outnumbered, the other pirates circling around Ray, hooting and hollering as he fought with two of their brethren. Putting aside the pain in his knee, Max bent down, snatched up his dagger and dove into the fray.

A skinny pirate with a scraggly beard and a bionic eye slashed at him with his sabre and Max barely blocked it with the guard of his dagger. Max gritted his teeth as he felt the force of the impact vibrating uncomfortably up and down his arm. The pirate grinned smugly, pushing heavily on Max's tiny blade.

"Best be givin' up, lass," he taunted nastily.

"C'mon, Draciel…we can do it…" Max ground out, pushing back as hard as he could, but still feeling himself being forced to his knees. Suddenly, the dagger began to vibrate, glowing a pale purple, the pommel winking at him most brightly. He felt a familiar warmth and assurance wash over him and suddenly the pirate didn't seem quite as strong anymore. With one hard shove, Max managed to push the pirate away, then knock the sabre out of his hand.

The pirate gaped at the girl who had just bested him, stunned.

Max stared in awe at the tiny blade, feeling the raw power emanating from it: Draciel. His face grew determined, he knew what to do.

Quickly getting into the kendo stance Tyson had shown him, prepared to defend himself against the power-hungry pirates bearing down on him should his plan fail, he called out to his teammates: "Tyson! Ray! Get down!" Pumping the dagger in the air, he yelled. "Draciel! Heavy viper wall!"

The ship rumbled under their feet. The pirates looked around panicked as the seas rose from all sides in a massive tidal wave poised menacingly over the deck. A glance at their quarry found her glowing fierce purple, the mistress of the ocean.

"Attack!"

The pirates barely had time to scream before the water slammed into them, sweeping them away into the unmerciful deep.

"Yes!" A huge attack like that, in the beydish, would usually leave Max spent, but suddenly he felt invigorated. "We did it, Draciel! We did it!"

"Alright!" Tyson exclaimed, pumping his fist. "Way to go, Maxie! You totally owned those pirates!"

"Yeah, I totally kicked their butts!" Max yelled, jumping onto Tyson's back and giggling when he spun them around.

"Whoa! You guys, look at the map!" Ray called, cutting into their celebrations. "It's glowing."

"It is? Gimme!" Max snatched it away from Ray, ran his hands over every inch of it, then looked down hopefully. "Aw man, I'm still a girl."

Ray snatched the map back and rolled it open, golden eyes flicking from the map to the scenery and back again. "We must be at X."

"I don't see anything," Tyson said.

"Look! Over here!" Max called, peering into the ocean from starboard. The others rushed to his side, and followed his gaze. They could see a faint glow, golden to match the map, emanating from the sea bed miles below the surface of the water.

"How are we gonna get down there?" Ray wondered.

"I'll do it," Tyson said, determined. "I'll swim to the bottom and get it."

"Tyson, be reasonable. It's too deep to dive, you'll drown!"

"Scuba divers do it all the time! This'll be a piece of cake!" he said, shooting Ray a cocky grin and a peace sign.

Ray stepped in his way, holding his arms out as Tyson tried to strut past. "I can't let you do that, Tyson."

"What the hell, Ray? I have to do this. For Kai."

"It won't do Kai or your baby any good if you get yourself killed."

"What are you saying, Ray? I won't give up! I'll never give up on Kai! Now get out of my way!"

"No! There has to be another way, Tyson. We'll look around the ship again, see if there's any gear that can help us. I won't let you kill yourself."

"Ray!"

"Stop being so stubborn and use your brain for once, Tyson!"

Splash!

Both of them whirled around to find Max overboard treading water.

"Brr… it's really cold in here. You ready, Draciel?"

"Max! What are you doing?" Ray shouted.

"Don't worry, Ray, I figured it out." Max grinned confidently, winking at his worried teammate. "Draciel's guardian of the sea, so this has to be my job. I'll get this one. You can get the next one."

"Maxie! You can't risk it!" Tyson protested.

"I'm not in any danger, Tyson. Right, Draciel?" Max smiled, nodding at his blade. "Alright, let's do this. Draciel! Gravity Control!"

As he pointed the dagger at the golden spot in the water, its purple glow intensified. At first, it seemed like nothing was happening, and Ray was about to call him back to the ship, but then he saw it. A slow spiral in the water, gradually getting faster and wider. It was a whirlpool.

"Maxie! Get outta there! You'll get sucked in!"

Max ignored his friends' frantic calls, instead swimming closer to the forming whirlpool, trusting in his bitbeast to keep him safe. It wasn't long before he was caught in the current, his body being dragged around in circles, spiralling around the centre. Now he knew how a beyblade felt.

"Woo! Tyson, you've gotta try this! It's like getting flushed down a toilet!"

"Max!"

With every spiral, Max grew closer and closer to the seabed and the shiny gold object nestled in the wet sand. Within moments, he was within arm's reach of it. Stretching his fingers out as far as they would go, he reached for the object, tongue sticking out in concentration.

"Come on…come on… Got it- whoa!" As soon as he was able to snag it from its cushion of sand, the water started rushing in to fill out the dry tunnel that had been created. "Uh oh. Guess it's time to go."

As quick as the water rushed in beneath his feet, he could feel himself getting propelled out of the hole on a bed of anti-gravity.

Meanwhile, Tyson and Ray stood on the ship deck, gnawing their nails as they stared anxiously at the whirlpool.

"Tyson…" Ray muttered. "Is it just me or is that hole getting smaller?"

"Oh no! Maxie!" Tyson turned and dashed towards the cabin.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna drive the ship over there and rescue Maxie. Ray, you go get some rope or something so we can pull him out."

"Good idea!"

As Tyson began to turn the ship around, they heard a loud splash, like waves crashing together. Tyson and Ray both gaped as Max shot out from the sea, a fountain of water in his wake, looking happy as ever.

He seemed to hover in the air. "Hey guys! I got it!" he whooped, waving what looked like a large lump of gold in his hand. Then suddenly his expression changed. Little pinpricks of red poked through the purple glow that surrounded him, ever slowly taking over his aura. "Hey, what's going on? Tyson! Ray! Draciiieeeeelllll…!"

The red light suddenly flashed brightly around him, and then he was gone.

"Max!"


End file.
